billyk
Guru
Hi all -
My new Quest just arrived and I spent a happy afternoon putting it together. The build quality seems excellent, but here's a few minor-ish problems/suggestions for improvement I see before I've even ridden it:
1) There is no good way to mount a fender (mudguard) on the front wheel. The Quest is billed as a commuter, and I do that daily in rainy Seattle all year round, so fenders are an absolute must. There is the usual hole at the top of the fork for the initial attachment, but nothing at all near the hub for secondary mounts so the fender isn't all wobbly. No threaded holes, no braze-ons.
Further, since the cassette is right above the front wheel, a typical (short) front fender will result in spraying dirty, greasy street water directly onto the cassette - not a good thing. The solution would be to use 2 rear fenders and have a mount point at the top of the chainstay, for example, a braze-on as there is on the kickstand mount. (2 rear fenders can most easily be bought as part of a set for a trike).
2) The kickstand folds up right under the swingarm, hitting the metal each time. The instructions say to "you may need to turn it slightly". Well, on mine, no amount of turning prevents it from hitting the swingarm. Anyway, considering the force put on the kickstand every time it is moved, no part held by a single bolt is going to stay exactly in place. I have taped the swingarm where the kickstand hits to keep it from damaging the paint.
3) There seems to be no good place to securely lock the bike. The apparent place is between the swingarms, above the kickstand mount, but it looks like the swingarm would come off with a 6mm allen wrench (I did not try). Again thinking of commuters, a secure locking location is essential.
4) The folding rack is ingenious, but it's hard to see how to attach a normal pannier bag or rack trunk. Panniers need somewhere lower down to attach to (else they will swing back and forth), and most rack trunks want a wider platform. The rack is a good start for handy folks like me to work from, but a bit more thought about the actual use of the thing could probably avoid this extra work. ==>> the rack should be deeper and wider.
If it ever stops raining I will get out and ride the thing!
My new Quest just arrived and I spent a happy afternoon putting it together. The build quality seems excellent, but here's a few minor-ish problems/suggestions for improvement I see before I've even ridden it:
1) There is no good way to mount a fender (mudguard) on the front wheel. The Quest is billed as a commuter, and I do that daily in rainy Seattle all year round, so fenders are an absolute must. There is the usual hole at the top of the fork for the initial attachment, but nothing at all near the hub for secondary mounts so the fender isn't all wobbly. No threaded holes, no braze-ons.
Further, since the cassette is right above the front wheel, a typical (short) front fender will result in spraying dirty, greasy street water directly onto the cassette - not a good thing. The solution would be to use 2 rear fenders and have a mount point at the top of the chainstay, for example, a braze-on as there is on the kickstand mount. (2 rear fenders can most easily be bought as part of a set for a trike).
2) The kickstand folds up right under the swingarm, hitting the metal each time. The instructions say to "you may need to turn it slightly". Well, on mine, no amount of turning prevents it from hitting the swingarm. Anyway, considering the force put on the kickstand every time it is moved, no part held by a single bolt is going to stay exactly in place. I have taped the swingarm where the kickstand hits to keep it from damaging the paint.
3) There seems to be no good place to securely lock the bike. The apparent place is between the swingarms, above the kickstand mount, but it looks like the swingarm would come off with a 6mm allen wrench (I did not try). Again thinking of commuters, a secure locking location is essential.
4) The folding rack is ingenious, but it's hard to see how to attach a normal pannier bag or rack trunk. Panniers need somewhere lower down to attach to (else they will swing back and forth), and most rack trunks want a wider platform. The rack is a good start for handy folks like me to work from, but a bit more thought about the actual use of the thing could probably avoid this extra work. ==>> the rack should be deeper and wider.
If it ever stops raining I will get out and ride the thing!
